Diesel engine exhaust is a heterogeneous mixture that contains particulate emissions such as soot and gaseous emissions such as carbon monoxide, unburned or partially burned hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides (collectively referred to as NOx). Catalyst compositions, often disposed on one or more monolithic substrates, are placed in engine exhaust systems to convert certain or all of these exhaust components to innocuous compounds.
Ammonia selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a NOx abatement technology that will be used to meet strict NOx emission targets in diesel and lean-burn engines. In the ammonia SCR process, NOx (normally consisting of NO+NO2) is reacted with ammonia (or an ammonia precursor such as urea) to form dinitrogen (N2) over a catalyst typically composed of base metals. This technology is capable of NOx conversions greater than 90% over a typical diesel driving cycle, and thus it represents one of the best approaches for achieving aggressive NOx abatement goals.
A characteristic feature of some ammonia SCR catalyst materials is a propensity to retain considerable amounts of ammonia on Lewis and Brønsted acidic sites on the catalyst surface during low temperature portions of a typical driving cycle. A subsequent increase in exhaust temperature can cause ammonia to desorb from the ammonia SCR catalyst surface and exit the exhaust pipe of the vehicle. Overdosing ammonia in order to increase NOx conversion rate is another potential scenario where ammonia may exit from the ammonia SCR catalyst.
Ammonia slip from the ammonia SCR catalyst presents a number of problems. The odor threshold for NH3 is 20 ppm in air. Eye and throat irritation are noticeable above 100 ppm, skin irritation occurs above 400 ppm, and the IDLH is 500 ppm in air. NH3 is caustic, especially in its aqueous form. Condensation of NH3 and water in cooler regions of the exhaust line downstream of the exhaust catalysts will give a corrosive mixture.
Therefore, it is desirable to eliminate the ammonia before it can pass into the tailpipe. A selective ammonia oxidation (AMOx) catalyst is employed for this purpose, with the objective to convert the excess ammonia to N2. It would be desirable to provide a catalyst for selective ammonia oxidation that is able to convert ammonia at a wide range of temperatures where ammonia slip occurs in the vehicles driving cycle, and can produce minimal nitrogen oxide byproducts. The AMOx catalyst should also produce minimal N2O, which is a potent greenhouse gas.